Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid . . . and Tonya?

NEW YORK — Tonya Harding might try an Olympic comeback to the strains of some other country’s national anthem, and the question is:

Where can she get those golden skates sharpened in Bolivia?

Harding’s agent said Friday he was near a decision on asking the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. to rescind the lifetime ban imposed for the two-time Olympian’s part in covering up the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan three years ago.

If the ban sticks, agent David Hans Schmidt said, Harding--scheduled to resume her skating career as a professional next month--is prepared to jump to another country for the chance to compete in next year’s Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan.

“Maybe she could skate for Bolivia,” Schmidt said.

He also said Harding would “seriously consider legal recourse” if American and international sports officials tried to block her way. Those officials said they would not budge.

There is a way for an athlete to compete in the Olympics for two nations. But before that happens, an agreement must be reached among the International Olympic Committee, the international and national federations for the sport and the national Olympic committee for which the athlete competed. That’s a longshot.

“In such cases in which we have been involved, it has not been successful,” USOC spokesman Mike Moran said.

Schmidt said the idea of Harding skating for another country was first raised in jest during an interview with Norwegian television last year.

“We are going to decide very soon whether we will seek reinstatement and what to do if that is unsuccessful,” Schmidt said. Seeking eligibility in another country “would be a distinct possibility.”